Do You Believe in Demons?
by Kuramastrass
Summary: An old friend of Yoh's returns to his life, making it WAY more complicated than it needs to be... bringing some less-than-human friends with her. Will Ari and the Spirit Detective squad be able to defeat Hao with a little help from Yoh and the others?
1. Do You Believe in Demons?

**Hmm... well, I started writing this some time last year. About Christmas time. It's been a while since I thought about it, much less worked on it, but I saw it today and thought _What the hell? Let's put up chapter one and see if it's worth picking up again._**

**As in, what do you guys think?**

**This chapter's going to be a little confusing, but hopefully when (if) chapter two goes up, it'll be better.**

**So, submitted for your approval, I give you "Do You Believe in Demons?" chapter one.**

"Jeez, Yoh, that's brutal," Manta said as Yoh finished recounting his latest adventures in Anna's Shaman Boot Camp (TM). He glanced around the classroom quickly to make sure the Itako wasn't in hearing range, and then added, "Anna's a demon."

Yoh had his head in his arms on his desk. "Aww, don't say that, Manta." Yoh's voice, normally so calm and laid-back, had a serious edge to it now. "Anna may be cruel, but she isn't a demon."

"Thank you for that, Yoh." Anna appeared from out of nowhere. "Just for that, you don't have to do the electric chair today."

"Thanks, Anna," Yoh mumbled distractedly. He had other things on his mind now.

Like Ari.

Ari... how long had it been since he'd last seen her? Probably five years...

And he could still remember the last thing she'd said to him.

_"I won't be gone long, I promise. I'll be back soon." Her smiled faded when she saw he didn't believe that. "I promise, Yoh. I'll be back so soon you won't even notice I'm gone."_

_"You promise, Ari?" he asked her._

_"Would I lie to my best friend?" She hugged him. "We'll always be best friends."_

_"Always," he agreed as she pulled away._

_She smiled brightly, then, pulling down her shield to reveal her ears and tail. "I'll be back soon!" she called over her shoulder as she ran off. "I promise!"_

That was five years ago. He hadn't seen her since.

"We have a new student joining us today..."

But Yoh wasn't listening.

He was six years old again.

_"Do you believe in demons, Yoh?"_

_"Huh?"_

_He looked over at Ari, to see her green eyes sparkling bright in the moonlight. "Do you believe in demons?"_

_"Why? What are they?"_

_"They're like ghosts, or spirits. Most people don't believe in them, but they exist." She smiled. "Only they're alive. They interact with people all the time, and they don't even know it."_

_"Really?"_

_"Yeah."_

_They were silent, and they turned back to look at the stars. Then Ari spoke again._

_"We'll always be best friends, right, Yoh? No matter what?"_

_"Yeah; of course."_

_"Then do you want to know a secret?"_

_"Yeah!"_

_"You can't tell anyone."_

_"I won't!" he exclaimed. "Promise!"_

_She smiled brightly, revealing all her sharp, pearly-white teeth. She let down the shield that hid her ears and tail._

_Yoh felt his mouth drop open in shock and surprise._

_And Ari said, "I'm a demon."_

"Arivianna Minamino."

That name caught Yoh's attention. Ari had been short for Arivianna. It probably wasn't her, since _his _Ari hadn't had a last name, but what a coincidence...

But then she spoke.

"Hello, everyone. It's a pleasure to meet you all."

_"Do you believe in demons, Yoh?"_

It was her.

"I'm Arivianna Minamino, but you can call me–"

"Ari?"

- Kuramastrass -


	2. Do I Know You?

**Chapter two... yay.**

**Review? Someone? Anyone? Please?**

**Um, basically the same as last chapter from Ari's point of view.**

"Hey, Ari, are you sure you don't want me to come with you?"

I smiled at Yusuke. "I'm sure. I'll be okay."

No one believed me.

"Arivianna."

I turned to look at Kurama as I walked out the door. Our eyes met, and we stared at each other for a full minute. Like always, doing that made me sad – his green eyes were ghostly reflections of what they had been when he had been living.

"I could come with you, if you wish," he offered.

"No. Trust me, Kurama. I'll be okay." I smiled my most convincing smile.

"We'll see you when you get back, then, Ari," Kuwabara said.

I nodded and left.

_Trust me, _I thought as I walked to school. _I wish they would. Haven't I been through __enough__ with them? Why do they feel the need to __test__ me like this?_

I'd been Team Urameshi's alternate fighter during the Dark Tournament, and I had helped them with their previous two missions, fighting the Saint Beasts and rescuing Yukina.

Wasn't I trustworthy?

I knew this was for the best, but I wished they would let me do things _my_ way.

It was my job to check out our surroundings, to help them see how many other shamans were around, and what they were up to. I was also supposed to gather any information I could on Hao.

_Hao._ I shivered. I'd heard his name, once or twice before. He was bad news.

I was supposed to go to school with Yoh Asakura and Anna Kyoyama, both of whom were shamans. This same Yoh, once upon a time, had been my best friend. But I was supposed to avoid talking to him if possible. And if it _wasn't _possible, I was supposed to pretend I didn't know him.

For five days, I was supposed to observe. For five days, I was supposed to pretend I didn't know my best friend.

It wasn't _fair_.

But I arrived at my destination, then, interrupting my brooding.

They showed me to my classroom, Yoh and Anna's classroom. I walked in to find all the students already seated, every seat but one filled. One person I noticed right away; I recognized him, even with his head down on the desk. He had chocolate-brown hair and big, orange headphones.

Yoh.

"We have a new student joining us today..." the teacher said. "Her name is..." He paused to make sure he'd read my name correctly. "Arivianna Minamino."

Yoh hadn't been paying attention before, but he was now. His head hadn't moved at all, but he was paying attention now, I could tell.

"Hello, everyone. It's a pleasure to meet you all." I smiled my usual, huge smile. "I'm Arivianna Minamino."

I stuttered slightly over the name, not used to it, but no one noticed. I wasn't used to my full name – everyone, besides Kurama, always called me by my nickname, Ari. And Minamino wasn't my name; it was Kurama's. I had needed one to apply here, and I had taken his, in honor of him.

I continued, "But you can call me–"

"Ari?" Yoh screamed, bolting upright.

My smile faltered a little. I had hoped these five days would be easy, but apparently they wouldn't be.

I took a deep breath and asked, "Do I know you?"

- Kuramastrass -


	3. Don't You Recognize Me?

**Yay chapter three fun time woo~!**

**I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho _or_ Shaman King.**

**We're in Yoh's POV again... here's chapter three!**

"Do I know you?" Ari asked.

Yoh felt his face get hot. He was blushing.

Ari, his best friend, didn't recognize him.

"Yeah, Ari. It's me. Yoh. We were best friends."

She looked him over carefully with her green eyes. He could tell she was thinking hard about her answer.

"You must have me confused with someone else."

People snickered.

"Miss Minamino, please take your seat."

She nodded distractedly. To get to her seat, she had to walk past Yoh.

And when she was next to him, he spoke to her again.

"Don't you recognize me, Ari?"

"I don't know you."

But he could see in her eyes that she was lying.

So Ari was pretending that she didn't know him. Why?

Yoh thought about it all day, but nothing made any sense.

_"We'll always be best friends."_

So he had decided to follow her home after school.

He had followed her a distance from the school when she stopped. Without turning around, she asked him, "Why are you following me?"

"I wanted to ask you why you pretended you didn't know me today," he answered.

There was a pause, then she said quietly, "I'm not pretending."

"Ari..."

She whirled around now. "I don't know you. Stop following me. Go home."

He didn't listen; he started walking toward her. "You promised we'd always be best friends, Ari."

"Stay away from me!" she screamed suddenly, slapping him hard across the face. She ran away, then stopped and turned. "Stop following me, stalker."

Yoh stayed where he was, watching her as she ran off. He reached up to rub his sore cheek. "Ari..."

Then he sighed and decided to head home before he got yelled at by Anna.

"So she was right. I had her confused with someone else."

"But, I mean," Manta said, not quite believing him, "how many people are there named Arivianna?"

"At least two of them," Yoh answered. But he had those same doubts. Arivianna wasn't exactly a common name.

She had made it pretty clear that she didn't know him, though. He could still feel that slap from yesterday.

So Yoh was content to let things stay the way they were, but Anna wasn't...

- Kuramastrass -


	4. Why Are You Following Me?

**Why hello again. Have you returned to read the latest chapter of this crossover? Good for you.**

**Enjoy it, please. And review, if you'd be so kind.  
**

"Why are you following me?"

I didn't even turn around to ask the question. But Yoh knew I was talking to him.

"I wanted to know why you pretended you didn't know me today."

Of course he would want to know that. Of course he would be able to tell I was lying.

After a pause, I answered him quietly. "I'm not pretending."

More lies, which I'm sure he was able to hear in my voice.

"Ari..." It sounded like he was about to plead with me.

I whirled around, so I could face him. I was furious now – it was the only way I could keep the tears out of my eyes. The anger masked my sadness. "I don't know you. Stop following me. Go home."

He did the opposite of what I asked. He started to walk closer to me. "You promised we'd always be best friends, Ari," he reminded me.

I fought the tears I knew were coming to my eyes. I knew I had promised that.

What a lousy best friend I was.

I wanted to tell him everything, so badly. But I couldn't. I had to convince him that I didn't know him.

"Stay away from me!" I screamed at him. I ran a few steps, ten or twelve, then stopped and turned back to look at him again.

And I took my act one step further.

"Stop following me, stalker," I told him.

Then I turned again and went back to running. He didn't follow me this time.

I wonder if he had seen the tears in my eyes.

I ran for a while. I wasn't anywhere near home. I didn't know where I was , or even if I was going in the right direction. I didn't care.

When no one was around, I broke down and sobbed.

That's what I was doing when Kurama found me.

"Arivianna..." He paused, then moved closer to me. "What happened?"

I sniffed, trying to stop crying enough to answer his question. And I was glad he hadn't asked me if I was all right; I clearly wasn't.

"I slapped Yoh."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Your friend."

"Yes."

After a short silence, he asked me, "Why?"

"To keep him from following me, and to convince him that I don't know him."

I stood up and turned to face him. "I'm ready to go home now, Kurama."

He nodded and proceeded to guide me home.

Yoh didn't try to talk to me the next day.

I didn't know how to feel about that. I was glad, that he was making this easier for me. But it made me sad, too.

He didn't follow me home, either.

But Anna did.

"What is your _problem_?" she asked me.

I turned around to look at her. "What's it to _you_?"

She walked right up to me, almost pressing our faces together. "_I_ am Yoh's _wife_, and I expect him to make me first lady of the shaman world. But now he can't _train_ because he's _upset_ over _you_ and the _way_ you're _treating him_."

Yoh's wife? I tried not to let the shock show in my eyes. "I don't have to talk to you," I said.

She slapped me. "Tell me why you're ignoring Yoh."

I smiled an amused smirk at Anna. "_Really_, Anna. You think _slapping_ me is going to make me want to talk to you?"

And then I turned around and walked away.

- Kuramastrass -


End file.
